Shifting point for full-fashion knitting machines



Dec. 13, 1932. STEVENSON 1,891,117

SHIFTING POINT FOR FULL FASHION KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed Aug. 11, 1932 flank fille'vezz $021 I I N VE NTOR TTTTTT EV Patented Dec. 13, 1932 UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE FRANK STEVENSON, OF WEST LAWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 HOWARD HOSIEBY COMPANY, INC., 01 SINKING SPRINGS, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVAN IA SHIFTING POINT FOR FULL-FASHION KNITTING- MACHINES Original application filed August 11, 1932, Serial No. 628,387. Divided and this application filed August 11, 1932. Serial No. 628,388.

This invention relates to fabric knitting, especially hosiery fabric of the nonrun type.

In the manufacture of fabric at present used in nonrun hosiery, the locking of the stitch is accomplished through the medium of modifying the structure of certain of the machine elements of the present day full fashion hose knitting machines, making the production of nonrun hosiery practically prohibitive on account of the high cost 1nvolved in modifying or re-organizing certain of the machine elements of the full fashion hose knitting machines.

With this contingency in view it is the purpose of the present invention to make the cost of producing nonrun hosiery, either for street, business and office wear or for evening wear, so low that it is incomparable to the expense involved in modifying or reorganizing the structure of full fashion hose knitting machines.

To produce nonrun hosiery on a full fashion hose knitting machine without reorganization of the machine, producing the hosiery for a relatively low cost, it is the purpose to modify the structure of the stitch shifting points for the needles of the machine, so that by the use of points, of which their bodies are cut away on their left sides, permitting the stitches to be shifted to the right and locked, or cut away on their right sides permitting shifting of the stitches to the left and locked, a shifting point cooperating with each and every needle, nonrun fabric hosiery of the present day type for street, business and office wear may be manufactured and sold for a cost substantially equal to that of the present day.

Obviously by using a shifting point with every other needle or everv other two needles, such shifting points adapted for shifting the stitch o the right or the left, nonrun fabric hosiery of the relatively open or lace effect type may be manufactured and sold at a cost considerably below the nonrun hosiery which is now produced by full fashion hose knitting machines where the machine elements themselves are modified, such relatively ppen and lace effect hosiery to be used for evening wear.

Therefore this invention relates particularly to an article of manufacture, namely an improved shiftin point, of which its body has one of its sides and its rear wall cut away for the greater part of the length of the body, it depending entirely upon whether the shifting point is to be used for shifting the stitch to the right or the left.

In the production of such a stitch shifting point it still retains a groove for the shorter part of the length of the body to accommodate the travel of the bearded needle, during the movement of the shifting point and the needle, during the operation of shifting one half the stitch to the left or the right in readiness to be placed on the needle and the other half the stitch held in the heard of the needle, the needle being pressed into a groove of the shifting point, subsequently to which the shifting point moves upwardly, looping the stitch around the top of one needle and forming a loop around two adjacent needles, thereby lockin the stitch.

This type of of manufacture forms an'important part of a co-p-ending application filed 11th day of August, 1932, Serial No. 628,387, covering a knitted hosiery fabric and process of makmg.

It is to be understood that the particulars herein given are in no way limitative, and that while still keeping within the scope of the invention, any desired modification of details and proportions may be made in the construction of the appliance according to circumstances.

The invention comprises further features and combination of parts to be hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawing and claimed.

in the drawing Figure 1 is an enlarged elevational view of a shifting point for use in connection with a needle of a full fashion knitting machine.

Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view taken at right angles to Figure 1, showing the left wall of the body of the needle cut away, such needle being used for shifting the stitch to the right.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevational view showing the shifting point with the left wall shifting point as an article I of the body of the point cut away and in cooperation with a needle.

Figure 4 is an enlarged elevational view taken at right angles to Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a view in perspective of a portion of a piece of nonrun fabric with the stitches widely opened, showing the cooperation between a shifting point and a needle.

Figure 6 is an enlarged elevational view of a shifting point, of which the right wall and back wall of the body of the shifting point is cut away, adapting the shifting point for shifting the stitch to the left.

Figure 7 is an enlarged. elevational view taken at right angles to Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an enlarged end elevational view of the shifting point shown in Figure 6, looking at-the lower extremity of the shifting point.

Referring to the drawing 1 identifies the shifting point as a whole, which comprises a body 2 and a shank 3, the former having a groove 4 extending from where the shank 3 merges into the body at 5, down to a location identified at 6. In Figures 1 and 2 the body 2 has its left wall for the greater part of the length of the body cut away from the lower point of the groove 6 to the extremity of the shifting point as at 7. Referring to Figures 6 and 7 it is obvious that the right hand wall of the body 2 is cut away in a similar manner to that shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 and with this type of shifting point the stitches may be shifted to the left.

Referring to Figure 8, which is an end view of the shifting point, viewing the same from the lower extremity of the shifting point, it will be noted that the edge of the remaining wall diagonally remote from the groove 4 is more or less enlarged or swelled as at 8, and the other side 9 of the remaining wall of the body particularly adjacent the lower extremity of the remaining wall of the shifting point assumes an obtuse angle with the rest of the outside wall which construction facilitates the shifting of the stitch, that is to say together with the cutting away of the opposite wall.

Referring to Figure 5 a needle 10 has entered the shiftin point, causing the extremity 7 to enter t e groove 11 of the needle, which allows the heard 12 of the needle to remain open on the downward motion of the needle and the shifting point, one half of the stitch 13 being retained by the heard 12 and the other half of the stitch is caught by the shifting point and shifted to the right and to the left, it depending entirely as to which side of the body of the shifting point is cut away.

The groove in the shifting point may vary accordin to the types and various styles of full fashion knitting machines.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed is:

1. As an article of manufacture a stitch shifting point for cooperation of a full fashion knltting machine needle, comprising a body and a shank, the body of the shifting point having a groove for the shorter portion thereof for the reception of the needle for a partial movement of the shifting point and needle, the greater-portion of the body of the shifting point having one of its side walls and back cut away down to the extremity of the remaining side wall, which so cooperates with the grooved face of the needle on the downward motion thereof and the shifting point, whereby one half of the stitch of a piece of nonrun fabric may be retained by the heard of the needle and the other half of the stitch caught by the shifting point and shifted laterally and locked with an adjacent stitch, the remaining wall of said point at its lower part being angular in cross section.

2. As an article of manufacture, a stitch shifting point for cooperation with a full having an angular formation in which the 1 

